7.3 Topics for Further Study
The chief hydrologic and geochemical significance of DOC may be that it indicates the bioavailability, and thus the reducing capacity of total organic carbon present in aquifer systems. That reducing capacity is a principal factor determining the groundwater quality of both pristine and human-impacted aquifers. Continuing study of interactions between all forms of organic carbon (DOC, POC, AOC), therefore, may improve assessments of groundwater quality in the future.